Socket receptacle



; Nov. 14, 1933. E. G. K. ANDERSON 1,935,585

SOCKET RECEPTACLE Filed Sept. 3, 1929 fizz/6272267 Patented Nov. 14,1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOCKET RECEPTACLE Illinois ApplicationSeptember 3, 1929. Serial No. 390,202

3 Claims.

It is a common practice to mount individual lamp sockets in small outletboxes; each socket being mounted on a base of insulating material thatrests on and is secured to lugs on the inner 5 side of and a shortdistance from the top of the box; the cover of porcelain or otherinsulating material being then secured in place by means of screwsextending down into the insulating base. Because the base must serve tohold the cover in place it must be made comparatively heavy and, eventhen, there is great loss through breakage.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve devicesof the ln'nd just described, whereby very much less insulating materialis required and a stronger and more durable construction obtained.

In carrying out my invention, I form a light base of insulatingmaterial, mounting the same on a stiff metal plate which projects beyondthe ac insulating material to accommodate screws to fasten the plate tothe box and other screws to fasten the cover. The plate is preferablyfastened to the insulating material by means of screws which may readilybe removed in case the insulation should happen to break or in case anentirely new socket unit is to be substituted. Therefore, viewed in oneof its aspects, my invention may be said to have for its objecttoproduce a simple and novel socket unit having a composite basecomposed in part of a block of insulating material and in part of astrong supporting plate.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,

for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through a complete socketreceptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2is a top plan view with the cover removed; Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof the plate member of the socket unit; Fig. 4 is a section on anenlarged scale on line 44 of Fig. 2, only a fragment of the devicebeingshown; Fig. 5 is a section on an enlarged scale on line 5-5 of Fig.3; and Fig. 6 is a section through the socket base on line 6-6 of Fig.2.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a small outlet or connection boxopen at one side which, for convenience, I shall call the top, andhaving one or more tubular bosses 2 to provide inlets for conductors.Two ears or lugs 3 extend into the box from opposed side walls, a shortdistance from the top of the box. Resting on these ears or lugs is ametal plate 4. Screws 5 pass through holes 6 in the plate and into theears or lugs. A comparatively light base 7 of insulating material restson the plate, being secured thereto by means of screws 8 passingupwardly through holes 9 in the plate and into the insulating material.The socket 10, with its terminals 11 and 12 is fixed on the block ofinsulating material independently of the metal supporting plate. Theends of the supporting plate are extended in the form of narrow stripsor fingers 13 having near their outer end screwthreaded holes 14. Acover 15 of porcelain or other suitable material rests on top of the boxand is secured in place by means of long screws 16 extending through thesame and into the screwthreaded holes 14 in the supporting plate. Thecover of course has an opening to receive the socket, the opening beingordinarily the cylindrical bore in a tubular boss 17 projectingoutwardly from the cover beyond the outer end of the socket.

It will be seen that the only stresses that come upon the block ofinsulation constituting or forming part of the base for the socket arethose incident to supporting the block and socket and the lamp or otherdevice that may be mounted in the socket; the composite base and socketconstituting a unit that may be assembled in the 88 factory. The screwsthat hold the unit to the box and that support the cover from the unitengage only the metal part of the composite base, and therefore theassembling of the box, the socket unit, and the cover is done without inany 90 way stressing the insulating block. In the event that aninsulating block should happen to be broken, the base plate is simplyunscrewed and applied to a new block. Furthermore, the insulating blocksmay be made of various sizes and shapes and the metal base plates willfit any of them provided only that the holes in the blocks are properlylocated.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of myinvention constituting the appended claims. 10

I claim:

1. In combination, a box open at the top and having an inlet forconductors, a pair of ears projecting inwardly from opposite sides ofthe box a short distance below the top, a metal plate resting on saidears, screws extending downwardly through said plate into the ears, abase of insulating material shorter than the plate resting on thelatter, screws extending upwardly through the plate and into the base, acover of insulating material fitting across the top of the box andhaving an opening for a socket mounted on the said base, and screwsextending down through the cover into the end portions of the platelying beyond the ends of said base.

2. In combination, a box open at the top and having an inlet below thetop for conductors, a pair of ears projecting inwardly from oppositesides of the box near the top, a metal plate resting on said ears,screws extending downwardly through said plate into said ears, a base ofinsulating material shorter than the plate resting on the latter, screwsextending through the plate and into the base, a socket mounted on topof said base and projecting outwardly from the box. a cover ofinsulating material fitting across the top of the box and having atubular part sursounding said socket, and screws extending down throughthe cover into the end portions of the plate lying beyond the ends ofsaid base.

3. In combination, a long, narrow rectangular box open at the top, earsprojecting inwardly from the opposite long sides of the box near thetop, said ears lying on opposite sides of the transverse axis of the boxat a considerable distance from the ends of the box, a metal plateconsiderably shorter than the box resting on said ears and having narrowend portions, screws securing said plate to said ears, a short base ofinsulating material resting on said plate and leaving the narrow endportions exposed, a socket fixed to and overlying said base, a cover ofinsulating material fitting across the top of the box and having atubular central portion surrounding said socket, and screws extendingdown through the cover and into the exposed end portions of said late.

ERNST G. K. ANDERSON.

